Woodford County Board's Don Cremeens due in court June 6 regarding circulation of a letter during early voting

EUREKA — A Woodford County Board member has been charged with violating the Illinois Election Code ahead of the March 18 primary election.

The, charge, a Class A misdemeanor, was filed Monday against Don Cremeens. It is punishable by fine or up to a year in jail. Cremeens, who declined to comment on the advice of his attorney, was issued a notice to appear in court and is scheduled for arraignment June 6.

An investigation was launched by the Woodford County State’s Attorney’s Office in late March following a request from County Board Chairman Stan Glazier.

Glazier made the request after numerous county employees reported a campaign letter was circulated through parts of the courthouse while early and absentee voting was being conducted at the site, which would amount to illegal campaigning within an election zone.

The letter was later mailed anonymously to registered voters in the county’s 3rd District targeting board member and Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Chairman Larry Whitaker, who lost his seat during the March 18 election.

The letter’s content isn’t the object legal scrutiny — rather its presence in a prohibited campaign zone — though some, including fellow board members, question the mailer’s intentions.

“The more important thing is not the legal aspects of the letter, its the moral aspect that disturbs me even more. That behavior must stop period,” board member Mike Hinrichsen said. “Its more concerning if it’s an elected official. … I think that we hold ourselves, and other people hold us, to a higher standard.”

Others question whether Cremeens acted alone, though no one else has been charged in connection with the incident.

“They only caught one guy in it, and I would hope the others are big enough men to come forward,” board member Doug Huser said. “There’s a whole lot more to what happened besides what he’s being charged with.”

Laura Nightengale can be reached at 686-3181 or lnightengale@pjstar.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauranight.